1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emergency reporting device that sends an emergency signal to a base station to indicate an emergency situation of a vehicle.
2. Background Information
An example of a conventional emergency reporting device is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-184581. In the conventional emergency reporting device disclosed in this publication, when an emergency vehicle having an emergency situation is outside of a communication area of a base station and issues an emergency signal, the emergency signal is relayed between a plurality of peripheral vehicles using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Then, the emergency signal is finally sent to a vehicle that is within a communication area of a base station and that vehicle passes on the emergency signal to the base station.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved emergency reporting device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.